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Monday, February 11, 2013

Justice Department Moves to Intervene in Lawsuit Alleging Sex Discrimination Against the State of Maryland, Queen Anne’s County and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff

The Justice Department today moved to intervene in Murphy-Taylor v. State of Maryland, et al.,
a private lawsuit alleging sex discrimination by the state of Maryland,
Queen Anne’s County and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff. The United
States’ complaint in intervention alleges that Kristy Murphy-Taylor’s
supervisors in the sheriff’s office subjected her to severe sexual
harassment and retaliated against her when she complained.
The complaint alleges that these actions violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

According to the complaint, over a number of years Ms. Murphy-Taylor was
subjected to numerous acts of unwanted sexual conduct by multiple
supervisors including, multiple incidents of unwanted sexual touching,
sexually explicit comments about Ms. Murphy-Taylor and other female
officers, and derogatory comments about Ms. Murphy-Taylor based on her
sex and about women in general.

Despite Ms. Murphy-Taylor’s complaints to supervisory officials about
the unwelcome conduct, the complaint alleges that the defendants failed
to take prompt and effective corrective action, subjected her to
intolerable working conditions intended to make her quit, and ultimately
terminated her for complaining about the sexual harassment.

The United States determined that this case represents a matter of
general public importance and that the Department of Justice should
participate in it.
By intervening, the United States will ensure that the law
continues to protect employees and that the price of earning a living
will not be enduring constant sexual harassment. The relief sought by
the United States is past and future lost wages and compensatory damages
for Ms. Murphy-Taylor as well as the implementation of effective sexual
harassment policies and procedures and training on these policies and
procedures.

Ms. Murphy-Taylor filed a charge of sex discrimination and retaliation
with the Baltimore District Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC).
After investigating these charges, finding reasonable cause to
believe that the charging party was subject to discrimination because of
her sex, and unsuccessfully attempting to conciliate the matter, the
EEOC referred the charges to the Department of Justice.
This lawsuit is brought by the Department of Justice as a
result of a project designed to ensure vigorous enforcement of Title VII
against state and local governmental employers by enhancing cooperation
between the EEOC and the Civil Rights Division.

“The Department of Justice will not stand by while women are forced to
endure unwanted sexual conduct in their workplaces and then penalized
for protesting it,” said Jocelyn Samuels, Principal Deputy Assistant
Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Through our partnership
with the EEOC, the department continues its commitment to vigorously
enforcing the right of employees to be free from sex discrimination in
the work place.”

“The work of the commission is made more effective and efficient with
interagency coordination,” said Jacqueline A. Berrien, chair of the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “Our ongoing project with the
Justice Department helps to ensure that employees receive the full
protection of the laws prohibiting workplace discrimination.”

“By working more closely together in appropriate cases, EEOC and DOJ are
able to use our resources more efficiently to ensure the vigorous
enforcement of Title VII in the public sector,” said EEOC District
Director Spencer H. Lewis Jr., of the EEOC’s Philadelphia District
Office.
The Philadelphia District Office of the EEOC oversees
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New Jersey
and Ohio.